CVE-2022-21822: Nvflare Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-jx8f-cpx7-fv47
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-770
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-21822 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling) affecting Nvflare libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves allocation of resources without limits or throttling in nvflare. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.0.16.

CVE-2022-21822 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-21822
GHSA Identifier GHSA-jx8f-cpx7-fv47
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling
Affected Product Nvflare
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2022-21822

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Nvflare dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

nvflare fixed: 2.0.16 
pip install nvflare>=2.0.16
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

pip show nvflare

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2022-21822, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show nvflare

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Nvflare in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.0.16), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show nvflare command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling, where the product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated. In Nvflare, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Impact NVIDIA FLARE contains a vulnerability in Admin Interface, where an un-authorized attacker can cause Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling, which may lead to cause system unavailable All versions before 2.0.16 are affected. ### Patches The patch will be included in nvflare==2.0.16. ### Workarounds The changes in commits https://github.com/NVIDIA/NVFlare/commit/93588b3a0dff9bd4568983071b74d8b420de3a6e and https://github.com/NVIDIA/NVFlare/commit/93588b3a0dff9bd4568983071b74d8b420de3a6e can be applied to any version of the NVIDIA FLARE without any adverse effect. ### Additional information Issue Found on: 2022.3.3 Issue Found by: Oliver Sellwood (@Nintorac)

CVE-2022-21822 Affected Nvflare Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.0.16
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
nvflare
pypi/nvflare
PyPI
< 2.0.16
2.0.16

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/NVIDIA/NVFlare/security/advisories/GHSA-jx8f-cpx7-fv47
NVD — CVE-2022-21822 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-21822
Nvflare Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/NVIDIA/NVFlare

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-21822?
CVE-2022-21822 is a security vulnerability in Nvflare involving Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling in nvflare under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling.
Which Nvflare versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.0.16 across affected packages: nvflare.
What version fixes CVE-2022-21822?
Upgrading to 2.0.16 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is nvflare affected?
Yes, nvflare is affected in releases prior to 2.0.16. Upgrade your dependency to 2.0.16 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-21822?
CVE-2022-21822 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-21822?
CVE-2022-21822 is classified under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling (The product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2022-21822?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show nvflare'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-jx8f-cpx7-fv47",
  "modified" : "2022-03-18T23:18:43Z",
  "published" : "2022-03-18T23:18:43Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-21822" ],
  "summary" : "Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling in nvflare",
  "details" : "### Impact\nNVIDIA FLARE contains a vulnerability in Admin Interface, where an un-authorized attacker can cause Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling, which may lead to cause system unavailable\n\nAll versions before 2.0.16 are affected.\n\n### Patches\nThe patch will be included in nvflare==2.0.16.\n\n### Workarounds\nThe changes in commits https://github.com/NVIDIA/NVFlare/commit/93588b3a0dff9bd4568983071b74d8b420de3a6e and https://github.com/NVIDIA/NVFlare/commit/93588b3a0dff9bd4568983071b74d8b420de3a6e  can be applied to any version of the NVIDIA FLARE without any adverse effect.\n\n### Additional information\nIssue Found on: 2022.3.3\nIssue Found by: Oliver Sellwood (@Nintorac)",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "nvflare"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.0.16"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/NVIDIA/NVFlare/security/advisories/GHSA-jx8f-cpx7-fv47"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-21822"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/NVIDIA/NVFlare"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-770" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-03-18T23:18:43Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-03-17T21:15:00Z"
  }
}